Category: Spiritual Beings

An Angel's Ministry

4/30/2016

By: Undre Griggs, Jr.

As messengers of God, angels devote themselves to the furthering of His will. We find angels throughout the Bible ministering to humans in times of trial and situations of difficulty.

Daniel 6:22 (NIV): My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.

We also find angels ministering to humans as messengers. While we may not always know what is best for us, our requests are known to God and He is righteous when administering His answer.

Luke 1:13 (NIV): But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

God understands the Devil is our adversary and he is working to take us off the path of righteousness. We must endure and find comfort in the fact that angels are sent to encourage us on our journey. All we must do is remain faithful and trust in Jehovah; as long as we are faithful, the angels will be there to help us.

Hebrews 1:14 (ESV): Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

One of the more frightening roles of an angel is their task of enforcing God’s wrath. As a righteous God, we are fully aware of God’s will and we know what is pleasing to Him. When we willfully ignore His commandments, He may attempt to save us through punishment. No different than any parent punishing their child; the ultimate desire is for the child to repent and live virtuously.

Numbers 22:22 (ESV): But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.

Judges 2:3-4 (NKJV): Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

As messengers of God, we understand angels are performing a task that is in line with God’s will. It is our responsibility to make sure God is pleased with us so the angel is encouraging us. If we live in a manner contrary to the will of God, we should be wary of the ensuing message the next angel may bring.

An Angel’s Message of Obedience

2/13/2016

By: Undre Griggs, Jr.

As God was preparing to send an angel to guard and guide the Israelites on their journey, He gave them a few warnings about the angel. There were suggestions that we would expect to hear; such as “pay attention to him” and “listen to him”. There was one warning in particular that I found most interesting and that was “do not rebel against him”.

Exodus 23:21 (NIV): Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.

God warned the Israelites if they rebelled against the angel, the angel would not forgive them. I find this fascinating because God is so loving and longsuffering, that we often attribute this characteristic to all in heaven. We even find this understanding confirmed by Jesus when He told the parable of the Lost Sheep.

Luke 15:7 (ESV): Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

It is not that this angel was arrogant or disgruntled; God says the angel will not forgive them because God’s name is in his heart. We have to remember that angel means messenger, in particular, an angel is a messenger of God. In this case, God is trying to deliver a message of obedience to the Israelites. God wants His people to understand if they listen to Him, they will gain everything. But in the same way, if they rebel against Him, they will lose everything.

Exodus 23:22-23 (NKJV): But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

Notice in verse 22 how God interchanges between the people listening to His angel and listening to Him. The oneness is continued in verse 23 as well. God says He will send the angel ahead of them, but ends the same verse by saying He, not the angel will wipe them out. Since an angel is a messenger of God, it only speaks when God tells it to speak and it only does what God has authorized it to do. That is why this angel will not be forgiving the Israelites if they rebel against God. Not because the angel has a personal agenda, but because it is only able to deliver the message that God wants delivered.

I Will Return to the House I Left

12/5/2015

By: Undre Griggs, Jr.

You cannot help but notice the sharpness of criticisms Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Not only did Jesus call them wicked and adulterous (Matthew 12:39), He compared them to a man who was repossessed by demons due to his own shortcomings.

Matthew 12:43-45 (NIV): “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

There is a lot we can learn about the relationship between man and demon from these verses. Once an unclean spirit was excised from a person, it travels through dry places seeking rest without victory (v. 43). If you consider that the gospel of Jesus provides the water of eternal life, it is no surprise the void of God would be a waterless, desolate, and barren place.

John 4:14 (ESV): But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

It is humorous how the demon states it is going to return to the house it left as if it chose to leave in the first place. The reality is the demon was thrown out by God when the person dedicated their life to Christ. Unfortunately, this person lost Christ along the way and when the demon returned, the house was still clean, but empty (v. 44). In an attempt to strengthen its hold on the man, the demon brought reinforcements (v. 45). The number seven in this verse should be considered “many” as seven denotes perfection, whether good or bad. Considering that Christ described the demons as “more wicked”, we are able to observe that demons appear to have degrees of wickedness. Throughout the Bible we see passages that speak on a saved soul straying from righteousness would have been better off to have never known Christ (2 Peter 2:21).

2 Peter 2:21 (NIV): It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

This parable is consistent with that lesson and a humble reminder that salvation is a marathon we cannot win on our own.

Messenger of God

9/12/2015

By: Undre Griggs, Jr.

The English word "angel" comes from the Greek angelos, which means 'messenger'. As messengers of God, angels have many tasks and responsibilities. We recall the angel speaking to Philip when it guided his path to cross the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Acts 8:26 (ESV): Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.

Angels are often used to minister to the needs of the saints.

Acts 5:19 (NKJV): But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

Hebrews 1:14 (ESV): Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Psalms 91:11 (ESV): For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Angels can have a spiritual form and a physical form.

Isaiah 6:2 (ESV): Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Hebrews 13:2 (ESV): Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Judges 13:6 (ESV): Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name,

Much like us, angels can fall and succumb to sin (which leads to death).

Jude 1:6 (ESV): And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day

And yes, children have guardian angels who will deliver messages to the Lord.

Matthew 18:10 (ESV): “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

An Angel's Ministry

An Angel’s Message of Obedience

I Will Return to the House I Left

Messenger of God

Dean Road
church of Christ

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Archives

An Angel's Ministry

An Angel’s Message of Obedience﻿

I Will Return to the House I Left

Messenger of God

Dean Road​church of Christ

Categories

Archives

An Angel’s Message of Obedience

Dean Road
church of Christ